Lyricist Irshad Kamil Reflects on His Creative Process and the Box Office Turnaround of Main Vaapas Aaunga

Lyricist Irshad Kamil has reflected on his two-decade career in Hindi cinema, opening up about his songwriting methodology, his creative partnerships with top directors, and the unexpected box office trajectory of the film Main Vaapas Aaunga.

What Happened

In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Irshad Kamil discussed his work across several recent releases, including Saiyaara, Dhurandhar, Krishnavataram – Part 1: The Heart, and Main Vaapas Aaunga. Kamil noted that while the initial box office opening of Main Vaapas Aaunga stood around Rs. 1 crore and left him disheartened, audience word-of-mouth eventually transformed the film’s theatrical run, enabling it to complete 50 days in cinemas.

Kamil also detailed his creative process for recent songs. For the title track of Saiyaara, he engaged in seven to ten sittings with director Mohit Suri and composer Tanishk Bagchi, noting that both the male and female versions were planned simultaneously. He also shared insights on writing ‘Gehra Hua’ for Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar to establish romantic depth within a narrative focused on politics and conflict, and discussed writing his first devotional project, Krishnavataram – Part 1: The Heart, directed by Hardik Gajjar.

Key Highlights

• Two Decades in Cinema: Kamil signed his first film Socha Na Tha in 2005, while his first release was Chameli in 2003, where he penned ‘Bhage Re Mann’.
• Turnaround of Main Vaapas Aaunga: After an initial opening weekend of approximately Rs. 1 crore, strong audience recommendations helped the film achieve a 50-day theatrical run.
• Creative Collaboration on Saiyaara: The title track involved extensive sessions between Kamil, director Mohit Suri, and composer Tanishk Bagchi, featuring vocals by Faheem Abdullah and Shreya Ghoshal.
• First Devotional Project: Krishnavataram – Part 1: The Heart marked Kamil’s first devotional album, composed by Prasad S.
• Upcoming Works: Kamil confirmed writing songs for upcoming projects including Raftaar starring Rajkummar Rao, Sajid Ali’s Heer Ranjha, Force 3, and Ali Abbas Zafar’s next directorial venture.

Why This Matters

Kamil’s observations emphasize the crucial role word-of-mouth publicity plays in helping films recover from modest theatrical openings. His insights also highlight how collaborative songwriting processes between lyricists, composers, and directors shape key narrative moments in Hindi cinema.

What to Watch Next

Audiences can look forward to Kamil’s upcoming lyrical work in forthcoming films such as Raftaar, Heer Ranjha, Force 3, and the next project directed by Ali Abbas Zafar.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Irshad Kamil’s first film release as a lyricist?

Although the first project he signed was Imtiaz Ali’s debut Socha Na Tha (2005), his first film release was Chameli (2003), where he wrote the song ‘Bhage Re Mann’.

What did Irshad Kamil say about the performance of Main Vaapas Aaunga?

Kamil stated that the film opened at around Rs. 1 crore, which was initially disappointing, but genuine word-of-mouth recommendations sustained the film until it completed 50 days in cinemas.

Which upcoming films feature songs written by Irshad Kamil?

Kamil stated that he has written lyrics for Rajkummar Rao’s film Raftaar, Sajid Ali’s Heer Ranjha, Force 3, and an upcoming directorial by Ali Abbas Zafar.

Source: Bollywood Hungama